D.C. voters split on tipped wage law as Bowser proposes repeal
Washington Business Journal | By Daniel J. Sernovitz | May 20, 2025
A slim majority of D.C. residents didn't fully understand the impact on restaurants when they voted in 2022 to approve a referendum phasing out the tipped wage credit for service workers, though fewer than half support overturning the measure.
That's according to a recent poll of 400 likely voters conducted May 7-9, just days after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed repealing the law, known as Initiative 82, as part of her "growth agenda" for the city.
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Shawn Townsend, RAMW's president and CEO, said, in his view, the results indicate a shift in mindset from 2022, when nearly 74% of voters approved the referendum. If conditions have changed, as he said the survey indicates, it falls on the mayor and D.C. Council to revisit whether the the tipped credit should still be phased out.
"It's OK to look at policies and assess whether or not the policy works for the condition that the restaurant industry is in right now," Townsend said.